10 Oblique Exercises for a Flat Stomach, Fast

Show off your good sides (yep, both!) with an abs workout that tones your oblique muscles and tightens your core to help you look slimmer ASAP

While we love a good ab workout, a killer core isn't just about a flat stomach. Whittling your middle also means paying attention to your sides, or, more specifically, your obliques. Strong obliques will make your waist appear slimmer, improve your posture, support your lower back, and make your clothes fit even better. And crunches won't do you any favors here! So we tapped trainers with sick abs from across the country to share their secret moves for toning up the oblique muscles. Plus, cut-outs and crop tops are still holding strong in the fashion world—and they're perfect for showing off chiseled obliques. Get ready to sweat!

How it works: Perform these moves once through for a killer oblique workout, or pick your favorite and work them into your regular routine.

You will need: 12-15 lb kettlebell, plyo box or other elevated surface, set of 5-10 lb weights. Optional: small exercise ball.

PHOTO: CORBIS IMAGES

Breakdancer

“This exercise not only tones those obliques, but also gets your heart rate up by adding some cardio, which will help you shed extra layers and reveal your waistline faster,” says Jenn Seracuse, Director of Pilates at FLEX Studios (and the model demonstrating these moves!).

A Start in on all fours with knees underneath the hips and wrists underneath shoulders. Exhale to engage the abs and lift the knees to a hover off the mat.

B Kick the right leg under body and across to the left as you rotate hips to the left and drop left heel to the mat. Simultaneously, reach left arm up. Return to all fours and hover. Do as many reps as possible for 30 seconds. Repeat on opposite side.

Side Plank with Hip Dips

Jeff Schultz, Director of Training at Pinnacle Sports Inc., swears by this move. “It's a great multi-muscle core strength and stability exercise. It hits the obliques, abs, and back muscles.”

A Start by lying on one side, propped up on one elbow, keeping body in a straight line, feet stacked on top of one another, hips lifted.

B Lower slowly down until hip barely touches the ground, then lift back up. Do 10-12 reps, holding last rep for 15-30 seconds before dropping. Repeat on opposite side.

A Start in a decline plank position off of a bench, chair, or couch with hands under shoulders, core engaged.

B With a straight right leg, lift up and keeping leg straight drag over towards the outside of right hand, tap toe down to the floor and lift back up to return to starting position. Do 3 sets of 10 and repeat on opposite side.

Oblique Side Sit-up

“I originally saw this move in my Brazilian JiuJitsu training," explains Dasha Libin Anderson, trainer and creator of Kettlebell Kickboxing. "Soon after seeing its amazing ab benefits, I put it into all of my Kettlebell Kickboxing workouts!”

A Start kneeling, sitting to the side of knees. Hold a kettlebell or dumbbell tightly at chest.

B Engage core and squeeze glutes to raise up to kneeling position, keeping weight at chest. Then sit back down. Repeat on opposite side. Perform as many reps as possible in 1 minute. Do 3 sets.

Supine Obliques

"I love this move because it isolates and strengthens the obliques by keeping them fully activated over the entire range of movement, while also keeping the lower back fully protected," says Julie Jacko, Ph.D., owner and founder of Barre/Motion Miami.

A Lie on back, extending arms straight up overhead.

B Keeping core engaged, lift legs into tabletop position, knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Without changing the angle of knees, tilt knees left and lower feet until toes tap the floor. Lift legs back to tabletop and repeat on the other side. That’s 1 rep. Do 3 sets of 15 reps.

Curl with a Twist

This is Core Fusion co-founders Fred DeVito's and Elisabeth Halfpapp's go-to oblique toner. “This move is a sneak peak from our new book coming out in November, Barre Fitness: Barre Exercises You Can Do Anywhere for Flexibility, Core Strength, and a Lean Body.”

A Lay down with knees bent and feet flat on floor, hips-width apart. Holding either a small exercise ball or light weight, point elbows out to the side and curl up, pressing lower back down into the mat. Hold for 10 seconds, engaging the abs.

B Twist upper body to the left while keeping the back of the waist on the floor. Hold for 30 seconds, then repeat on the opposite side.

Toe-Heel Reaches with Weights

“Make this tough move even tougher by playing one of your favorite high-energy songs, ideally 130-140 BPMs, and moving along with the tempo of the beats,” suggests Matty Maggiacomo, trainer at Barry’s Bootcamp.

A Stand with feet slightly wider than hip-distance apart. With a 5 to 10 lb weight in each hand, reach right arm to right toe, followed by left arm to left toe.

B Then reach right arm along the back of leg towards right heel, followed by left arm towards left heel. Avoid bending too much from the hips. Perform this move slowly for 30 seconds, faster for 30 seconds, then double-time without weights for 30 seconds.

Plank Hip Twists

“For this full-body move that specifically focuses on the obliques, pretend you’re bringing your hips up and over a beach ball for wide exaggerated twists,” says Sarah Koste, a personal trainer based in New York City.

A Hold a forearm plank position, legs squeezing together for an extra inner thigh bonus.

B Twists hips up and over midline, alternating left to right. Do 10 reps, 3-4 sets.

Single-Sided Mountain Climber

“These mountain climbers fire up one oblique at a time, so you get an extra burn,” says Joe Buffa, a trainer at KORE in New York City.

A With hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, pull right knee over towards left elbow.

B Switch, pulling left leg in towards left elbow. Your right hip should be slightly lower than the left. Do as many reps as possible for 45 seconds. Repeat, bringing knees toward the right elbow. Do 4 sets per side.ALL PHOTOS : SHAPE By Sara Anglesource:www.shape.com

Popular posts from this blog

We all want a toned, flat stomach. No surprise there. But since many women are still relying on crunches to get it, we want to make one thing clear: Crunching is not the most effective abs workout. "Crunches work only the muscles on the front and sides of your abdomen, but it's important to target all the muscles of the core to get more defined abs-including lower back, hips, and upper thighs," says Lou Schuler, co-author of The New Rules of Lifting for Abs.

To lose belly fat and uncover amazing abs, Schuler recommends a series of core stabilization exercises based on a training program devised by co-author and personal trainer Alwyn Cosgrove. "Core exercises like the plank help train muscles to stabilize the spine and pelvis so you can avoid back pain and improve posture, Schuler says. "They also burn more calories than crunches because they work more muscles."

If you've ever stretched or exercised on a hardwood floor, you know just how uncomfortable it can be when sitting, kneeling, or trying yoga and Pilates exercises. For these activities, an exercise mat will offer support and traction, but not all exercise mats are the same. Depending on your activity, the mat you're using could either be helping or hurting your workout—and your body. While many gyms offer a variety of mats, some people prefer to use their own mat at home or in gym classes. You can buy a new mat to meet your fitness needs for as little as $20 at most sporting goods stores and online. Here's a rundown of the most common exercise mat needs, how they're different, and who needs them.